Double Dose of Idol!

Oh American Idol. You can’t compete with NFL playoffs, you just can’t. I got lazy and decided to lump Pittsburgh and San Diego together. I was gonna make a point about no contenders that I actually dig appearing but San Diego made a believer out of me. (Not a belieber. That’s just wrong.) Anyway…

American Idol is on a boat, don't you ever forget! (Image by elfidomx via Flickr)

Pittsburgh starts out with the make fun of the kid with the foreign accent trope — Heejun Hahn trumpets with his lips and he’s very nervous and never sang in front of his friends before and is born outside of the United States. So uh, this will end badly? Nope. “Surprisingly,” Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler are shocked that he can actually sing.

Next up is Reed Grimm, a living embodiment of the Partridge Family. He won his way into my heart by singing the theme to Family Matters, then going upstairs and never coming back down again. I mean wait, he went on to Hollywood.

There were a pair of sisters — one who planked and the other sang. I find this to be the stupidest thing to have happened this year. Owling is the new planking, come on.

Aaron Marcellus was only on for a second, but I liked him, Chase Likens had too much vibrato but is going to be filling the Scotty quota this year.

Creighton Fraker takes us on a tour of NYC, and wrote his own song. He’s a JT soundalike, but not bad. He draws out a lot of syllables, but I don’t hate it. “Go big or stay home,” our first stupid Randy-ism of the year. Besides, it’s “go big or go home.” Duh.

Eben Frankowitz is filling our Justin Bieber void this year. He’s a very humble and nice kid like Scotty McCreary was last year. Good parents.

Travis the homeless kid from last year came back again with an even sobbier sob story. He dropped out of high school so this is an “all or nothing thing.” I feel bad, and he gets through.

Erika Van Pelt gets Steven singing along with her, and that’s why I occasionally love him as a judge. You KNOW he loves music.

Coal miner Shane Bruce gets rejected, but at least even he admits he didn’t do well.

And Sob Story Hallie Day gets through. I think she should have sung “The Power of Love,” but that’s just my sick ironic side coming out.

Under the jump, find out who my favourites were from San Diego.

San Diego takes us on the USS Midway. I kinda want to visit SD now.

First contestant is Patriotic. They exploit her by making her walk up and down the stairs bc she’s a pretty lady in short shorts. Ugh. She can’t even best Jessica Simpson’s singing, so you know she’s doomed.

Ashley Robles is awesome. She’s a single mom who works as an accountant and deejay and gives Randy Jackson the best answer to a dumb question. “Where have you been?” She was taking care of her life. She did it right — waited for the auditions to come to her city, didn’t quit the jobs, and didn’t say “THIS IS ALL OR NOTHING BLAH BLAH BLAH.” And you guys know my cardinal rule: DO NOT SING WHITNEY IF YOU CAN’T BEAT HER. She did her pretty well. She’s one to watch, for certain.

Jayrah Gibson has no “B-Plan.” He’s a songwriter and singer, and is pretty smooth. Steven describes him as the “whole bowl of wax.”

I saw one of the teenagers from last year in a montage of golden ticket winners!

Aubree Dieckmeyer can’t remember which show she’s auditioning for. She’s got a very soft voice and I don’t really care for it, but I see why the judges do.

Ali Shields was on Ellen for writing a song about Ellen. She also got Usher to kiss her, and raps for the judges. I think people are gonna love her or hate her. So far I’m sold.

Day 2!

“I can’t wait to hear 40 people sing the same Adele song for six f—ing hours!” -Gee, I wonder who said this.

Kyle Crews is a frat boy. Right there, he lost me. Course, he lost me again when he brought out that goat on stage with him.

Jim Carrey’s daughter Jane Carrey makes Jennifer Lopez feel old. I wasn’t blown away by Jane and I wonder if she got through because of whose daughter she is. Like how do you make that phone call to Jim Carrey and say “uh I didn’t make it?”

Jason Hamlin is the son of a guitar maker, and a golf course mechanic. He is also called Wolf. He did CCR, which sold me. Then he was asked to do another song, played his guitar and rocked “Folsom Prison Blues.” He’s another to watch, although he might suffer from White Guy With Guitar Syndrome. (Or maybe that will help him.)

Anyway, I’m starting to see a few contenders here. Got any favourites yet?